Clamping shoe-horn.



R. P. 8: R. A. ORR.

CLAMPING SHOE HORN.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 5. 19H.

1 y 1 Ti 1 MG Patented. July 2, 1918.

MM 64%, I

ROBERT P. ORR AND RUSSELL A. ORR, 0F ALBANY, NEW YORK.

CLAMPIN'G SHOE-HORN.

Application filed November 5, 1917!.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROBERT P. ORR and RUssELL A. ORR, both citizens ofthe United States, and both residing at 35 South Manning Boulevard,Albany, county of Albany, and State of New York, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Clamping Shoe-Horns, fully described andrepresented in the following specification and the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of the same. i

The present invention relates to a device for putting on and taking offshoes and footwear of all descriptions, and is especially useful inapplying and removing rubber overshoes, as the latter are liable, inuse, to become very-dirty and thus to soil the hands if applied directlyto the overshoes.

The invention embodies an improvement upon that class of clampingshoe-horns in 1which two jaws are connected by an elastic ody.

Such jaws are complementally curved and opposed to one another to fitinside and outside the heel-portion of the shoe, and it is ob vious thatthe curvature or concavity of the jaws imparts to the sheet-metal of thejaws a very considerable degree of stifiness, so that a relatively thinmetal may be employed for such parts; but it has been found in practicethat such light metal is not stifl enough when formed into a narrowlooped body, to hold the jaws firmly when grasping the shoe.

Our present improvement consists in reinforcing the body in such manneras to donble its thickness and elasticity. Such reinforcement maybe'efiected by riveting on a supplementary strip of the same width asthe body, but the present invention employs preferably in themanufacture of the article a sheet-metal blank having a parallel bodyabout twice the width of the body intended for the article, and foldsthe edges of the blank over upon the body and presses them down closelythereon, thus doubling the thickness of the body and greatly increasingits stiffness and elasticity when bent to form a handle for operatingthe device.

The edges or flanges upon the blank which are formed to bend over thebody-part may project laterally from such part, at the base of thewidened ends which form the jaws, 1 hey m y be sloped tQWard the edgesof Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, rare.

Serial No. 200,253.

such rounded ends so as to form a stronger connection between the handleand the jaws.

Theinvention will be understood by reference to the annexed drawing, inwhich Figure 1 shows the blank to form the implement with dotted linesindicating the lines to bend the flanges over upon the body; Fig. 2 is across-section on line 2-2 in Fig. 1 with transverse dotted lines showingthe points of flexure for the flanges; Fig. 3 is a section representingthe body with the flanges bent upward at right-angles thereto, the viewalso including the flat wide end 6 with the flanges tapered downwardtoward its edges; I

with the flanges thus pressed down and still in a flat form; Fig. 6represents the body looped to form a handle with elastic arms, and astrip riveted upon the body; and Fig. 7 represents the application ofthe implement to a shoe by a person in a seated position. Fig. 8 is aperspective view of the article having the body stiffened by bentflanges.

Fig. 1 shows a blank for reinforcing the body with integral flanges, andit shows the blank with parallel edges, and widened ends 7), b withrounded edges.

The edges of the body form flanges 0 distinguished from the body bydotted lines d in Figs. 1 and 2, indicating the lines of flexure uponwhich to bend the flanges. This is done by suitable stamping tools whichalter the body to trough-shape, as shown in Fig. 3.

By any suitable means, the flanges are then bent downward and pressedhard upon the body, as shown in Figs. 4:, 5 and 8, the flanges beingproportioned so that their edges nearly meet, thus doubling the entirethickness of the body.

In the lower ends of Figs. 1 and 5, the flanges are shown projectedlaterally from the base of the widened end so that the flanges terminateabruptly where the body joins such end.

In the upper ends of Figs. 1 and 5, the flanges are shown sloped to theedges of the widened end, and when the flanges are folded upon the bodythese sloped portions are folded over upon'the base of the body and uponthe dotted line (1 in Fig. 1, thus greatly strengthening the connectionbe:

tween the body and the jaws. Such tapered portion of the sheet-rnetal isstretched durin such bending operation, said stretching belng readilyeffected by the tools which bend the body into trough-shape. 1

Both forms for the flange, those shown at the upper and lower ends ofFig. 5, are suitable for practical use, either form producing a handleintegral with the jaws.

When the bodyportio n isitlnis stiffened the ends are eoncaved to formthe jaws as shown in Fig. 6, and the body is bent into loop-shape toform two elastic arms a and a with the jaws opposed to one another. Thejaws are then bent at a substantial angle to the arms, as shown in Figs.6 and 7, to make the handle project backwardly, as indicated in Fig. 7.

The present construction permits the formation of the article flOIHQsingle piece of sheet-metal, of relatively light thickness and with thehandle reinforced so as to possess the required stiffness andelasticity.

Fig. 6 shows the reinforcement of the clamping-jaws by securing a stripe upon the body by rivets f, so as to double its thickness; and thuspermit the jaws and body to be made integral with one another ofrelatively thin metal.

By either construction, thin jaws and a single piece of sheet-metalhaving a body with parallel edges having integral widened rounded ends,coinplenlentally curved to form elamping-jaws, and the body loopedbetween the ends to form a handle with the jaws opposed to one another,the entire width of the body being reinforced to double its thicknessbetween the said jaws, thereby doubling its stiffness and elasticity.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

ROBERT P. ORR. RUSSELL A. ORR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

